Home
by NowQuietlyDreaming
Summary: I had to get rid of this feeling of wrongness. It had been there constantly, gnawing at the back of my mind. Ever since I’d gotten back it’d been growing and the feeling was nearly unbearable now. I was also scared, was home not my home anymore? NaruSaku


Home. It had always been a familiar word for me and it had always held a special place with me. I had always thought it was one thing, and one thing alone; to me it was my house and all of the memories it held.

I never thought it'd take a year away from Konoha to find out what my home really was.

I'd been on a year long mission, S class, to infiltrate a new ninja nation that had emerged. The reason for its class? This nation was though to be hostile, and if we (the we being Kakashi-sensei and I) were found to be Leaf ninja instead of father and daughter refugees from the collapsed sound nation, then… well you get the idea, but that's beside the point.

I'd been missing all of my friends and my family like crazy, so I was glad to be back in the village, especially since we nearly got caught and, because of that, I'd had to travel back to Konoha while suffering from an extreme case of frayed nerves.

After being dismissed by Tsunade-shishou after having to suffer through both Kakashi-sensei's and my mission reports, I'd raced home, thinking the familiarity of it all would help me calm my frayed nerves, but when I got there, I was shocked to find that the familiar sights and sounds of my house only frayed my nerves more than they already were. I tried to sit down on the couch an read some of my medical texts, that didn't do anything. I tried to turn on the old record player that my mom kept to play her records from when she was my age and listen to the music that my mom always played every Friday night, but that didn't work, either. I even tried to go through my mom's closet to look for her old dress that she'd let me play dress up in when I was little! Once I found it and put it on even the feel and smell of the familiar scratchy wool of the dusty old dress, didn't work.

I felt off, even more so than I had earlier. This was confusing me, the sights and sounds and smells of the house usually calmed me down after a mission, but now they seemed only to make me more… uncomfortable.

I was also scared, was home not my… home anymore? Apparently not. I sighed. If my… house wasn't my home anymore, then what was?

I know, I haven't been to the hospital since before I left! I thought and I ran out of my door.

As soon as I got there, I knew for a fact that it wasn't what I considered home, at all. The sounds of wailing babies and crying kids coming from the children's wing hurt my ears and the sterile smell of the hospital hurt my nose. That, combined with the people pushing past me, was more than enough to fray my nerves even more.

Wait! I've missed my friends! I thought to myself as I rushed out of the hospital doors. Perhaps my friends had become what I now considered home?

I went through town and in turn found each of my friends, but with each friend I talked to, I became more uncomfortable. I soon found myself sitting on a bench in one of the parks, staring at the palms of my hands. I couldn't figure it out, what was missing? What had changed? What did I need to find? I groaned in frustration and rubbed my eyes with the heels of the palms of my hands, what was going on? I'd been to my house and none of the feelings of comfort that I usually felt were there. I'd gone to the hospital and all of the feelings of accomplishment I usually felt when there were gone. I'd also been to see every single one of my friends and all of the feelings of happiness that usually accompanied being with them weren't there! I even went to talk to that duck butt, Sasuke, who I hardly ever talk to anymore! (I also went and talked to Shino! He can be a cool guy, but do you have any idea how creepy he can be sometimes?) I sat there for a few minutes, just staring off into space. What was left? What could it be? What could I have missed? That's when it hit me.

I ran through the village streets in search of my destination, running into people and knocking things over as I went. I had to get rid of this feeling, I'd never in my eighteen years felt so uncomfortable! This feeling of… wrongness, this feeling of being off balance. It had been there constantly in the back of my mind for the entire year, constantly gnawing at the back of my mind. Ever since I'd gotten back it'd been growing and the feeling was nearly unbearable now.

I was there within the next twenty minutes. I ran up the stairs as fast as I could and started banging on the door frantically. The door wasn't opened as fast as what I'd have liked, and the wait for the door to be answered seemed to take forever, but it did eventually open.

I couldn't help it, I threw myself at him and luckily he caught me. I looked up at him and he blinked a few times in confusion. "Sakura-chan?" He asked.

I started to sob into his chest, from relief that the feeling was gone or from finally seeing him after so long, I had no idea. "Naruto! I missed you so much!" He smiled down at me.

"Welcome home, Sakura-chan." He said softly just before he kissed the top of my head. With a shock, I realized just what had come to replace my house as my home. Naruto's arms, I belong here, with Naruto-kun, in his arms, I thought to myself as I snuggled closer to him. As long as I'm here, I'm home.

**

* * *

**

Yeah, I know, this is probably the single most cheesiest story ever, but, honestly, who doesn't love cheese (with the exception of lactose intolerant people)? XD This idea just randomly popped into my brain, and I had to write it (err, type it)! If I don't then they bug me or I forget the idea and then I have trouble trying to remember what my idea was, which also bugs me... I'm working on a few NaruSaku chapter stories so… yea… Anyways! I hope you enjoyed this one-shot and thank you for taking the time to read it!

**~ Kassy**


End file.
